Nelson Mandela: The Struggle Is My Life [Paperback]

Nelson Mandela (Author)

Book Description

Nelson Mandela's speeches and political writings from his days as a leader of the African National Congress Youth League in 1944 until his release from prison in 1990.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A concise, low-cost updated documentary study of the man, his life and thought.... There is a solid index and thirty-four evocative photos to enhance the text." -- The International Journal of African Historical Studies

"A useful addition to both public and college libraries." -- Library Journal

"A useful introduction to Mandela's life and work through his speeches and writing." -- Los Angeles Times/The Book Review

"Perhaps the most riveting and revealing documents are the transcripts of Mandela's trials.... They give the reader a better understanding of Pretoria's fear of Nelson Mandela." -- Christian Science Monitor

"Reveals the patience, thoughtfulness and wisdom of the man who is the real leader of South Africa.... Especially valuable for the insights into his character and the character of those fighting for freedom in South Africa...." -- Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize winner, author of The Color Purple

"Those who prefer abstractions or empty phrases, or fanciful--supposedly political-- ideas, would do best to avoid this book, because Nelson Mandela is not a Quixotic fighter of windmills and imaginary monsters but a man who is fighting the bitter reality of the apartheid monster that is destroying the essence of his own beloved people, in the same way that colonialism is destroying the essence of my own people. In this book we meet an idealist with his feet firmly planted in the earth." -- Rafael Cancel Miranda

Product Details

• Paperback: 414 pages
• Publisher: Pathfinder Pr; 2nd edition (October 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873485939
• ISBN-13: 978-0873485937
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,060,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Mandela, Nelson

More About the Author

Nelson Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa, on July 18, 1918. He joined the African National Congress in 1944 and was engaged in resistance against the ruling National Party's apartheid policies after 1948. He was incarcerated at Robben Island prison from 1964 to 1982 and then moved to Pollsmoor Prison, during which time his reputation as a potent symbol of resistance to apartheid grew steadily. Released from prison in 1990, Mandela received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was inaugurated as the first democratically elected president of South Africa in 1994. He is the author of the international bestseller LONG WALK TO FREEDOM.



Author photograph by Andrew Zuckerman © Nelson Mandela Foundation

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mandela in his own words, August 25, 2002

By 

Carl Weinberg (Dahlonega, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nelson Mandela: The Struggle Is My Life (Paperback)

For decades, a popular demand in South Africa and around the world was: Free Nelson Mandela! This book does an excellent job of showing just why Mandela was so popular among the masses in his country and so feared and hated by apartheid's rulers. He was a first-class revolutionary who fought for decades for his country's freedom and always believed in the power of the masses of people to make change. This book is so inspiring because you read Mandela in his own words, starting as a student leader in the 1940s to a leader of the African National Congress's armed wing in the 1960s to an internationally known political prisoner in the 1980s. He never gave up and he outlasted the vicious apartheid system. The photos in the book also do a great job of showing what the struggle against apartheid was like.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic essays and speeches, April 4, 2005

By 

Andre M. "brnn64" (Mt. Pleasant, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Nelson Mandela: The Struggle Is My Life (Paperback)

Lovers of good political writing will enjoy this. I was greatly inspired by the first edition of this while I was a college student in the 1980s (when Mr. Mandela was still imprisoned).

Among the highlights are "Bantu Education" (1950s), a look at how the educational system for Black South Africans was designed to produce a class of cheap labor (as a Black South Carolinian, I can relate). Mandela's court speech prior to his imprisonment in 1964 reads like a South African "I Have A Dream" as he eloquently states the case of Black S/Africans and his willingness to be a martyr for that cause. (Check the actual sound recording of this on the CD "The Voice of Nelson Mandela" for the full effect).

Later, we see the level of principle of Mr. Mandela as he spurns offers for freedom under the conditions set by the S/A government in the 80s. We also read his post-release speech as well as his calls for peace among warring factions in S/A.

Makes you wish for eloquent, principled, and effective leaders like this in America. At least it can inspire future generations toward that direction. By all means, read it.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Freedom struggle against apartheid -- Mandela's own words!, August 19, 2002

By 

Harvey (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nelson Mandela: The Struggle Is My Life (Paperback)

What a wonderful experience-- reading and studying speeches and documents prepared by Nelson Mandela during five decades of struggle against the apartheid regime in South Africa! Here are key documents of the African National Congress, including the Freedom Charter that became the central document of the mass movement that brought down apartheid. Also Mandela's speeches at different stages of the struggle, including historic courtroom addresses when he was on trial for his life; documents Mandela prepared as the apartheid regime was forced to negotiate with him and the ANC in the late 1980s; and his first speeches after he was released from prison in 1990.
These speeches give a vivid reminder of the brutal, racist regime that was apartheid (and we should never forget that the South African regime was a pillar of U.S. domination in Africa from the 1940s on.) Mandela gives us a real feel for the determined, difficult, and courageous struggle of millions of people who never accepted submission to apartheid and the world-wide importance of the fight for a democratic, nonracial South Africa. And you see truly inspiring leadership in the persons of Mandela and his fellow leaders in the ANC.
Don't miss the 32-pages of photos that really help bring this rich struggle to life as well!